of hustdmarsh



NITED STATES FFICE.

JOHN SHAW, or nrnnrmnsn, sonrn AUSTRALIA.

TAWING HIDES OR SKlNS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 286,491, dated October9, 1853, Application filed April 16, 1833. (No specimens.) Patented inEngland December T, 1882. No.5,S36.

To 5055 whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN SHAW, residing atHindmarsh, near Adelaide, in the Colony of South Australia, haveinvented an Improvement in Tawing Hides or Skins, (for which provisionalprotection in Great Britain, No. 5,836, dated December 7, 1882, has beenobtained,) of which the following is a specification.

For converting hides and skins into leather they are usually, afterpreliminary treatment, subjected to the. action of tan or tannicproducts. I have found that by employing, in stead of tan or itsequivalents, carbolic acid or compounds of carbolic acidsuch assulphocarbolic acida considerable saving of time and labor can beeffected; and my invention consists in applying these substances, and,when desirable, along with suitable media for penetrating the hides orskins. Various penetrating media may be employed-such as water,glycerine, oils, spirits, organic acids, bisulphide of carbon; alsosolutions or preparations of alkalies, soap, sugar, or flour, ormixtures of these substances. These do not effect the converting actionof the carbolic acid or its equiva lent, but may be selected as they maybe best suited to the character of the leather that is to be produced.The proportions of the substances used for the treatment of the hides orskins may be varied. The following examples suitable for soles,machine-belting, and such like uses, I soak them in a mixture made inabout the proportions of ten gallons Water, one pound soap, and threepints carbolic acid, and I add daily carbolic acidenough to keep up thestrength of the mixture until the hides are found to be sufficientlytreated. For pro ducing the softer kinds of leather Ifirst soak thehides or skins for one or two days in a mixture made in about theporportions of four parts oil to one part carbolic acid, and then forseveral hours I soak them in a mixture of about- 'four parts bisulphideof carbon to one part carbolic acid.

Instead of carbolic acid, compounds thereofsuch as sulpho-carbolic acidand analogues. of

carbolic acid-may be used in the Way described; but I prefer to employcarbolicacidms being generally less costly thansuch other subtances.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and the best way I knowof carrying it into practical operation, I claim The within describedprocess of tawing hides or skins, consisting in preparing the hides orskins in the usual way for tanning, then soaking them for a day or morein a mixture of carbolic acid, and afterward soaking them in a mixtureof bisulphide of carbon and carbolic acid, as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnessesthis 8th day of February, 1883.

7 JOHN SHAW. \Vitnesses:

J. K. HAYGRAFT, J. D. PnILLIrs.

